MassMutual Inclusion & Diversity

What are the keys required to establish a successful ERG program? 

What I and the MassMutual leaders who’ve come before me have come to learn is that you need to take a people-first approach. Even though there are perks to joining an ERG, this is something that, to work, must be driven by employees: this is what takes an ERG from purely extracurricular to an invaluable resource for your employees. When you’re asking someone to take on the work of leading or participating in an ERG, it’s a two-way street. There needs to be a value proposition for the employees who are giving the company and its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives this extra time above and beyond their role. 

At MassMutual, we see these groups as benefits to the company as well as to the employees. That’s why we don’t refer to them as ERGs — we refer to them as BRGs, business resource groups. We’ve evolved our strategy over the past 10 years to really embody this. Everything is still affinity-based, but we know that employees are creating business impact by taking action and lending expertise on the issues that are important to them. In fact, we ask them to track their impact so we can measure tangible results. Their actions make the company a better place to work.

What are some common mistakes companies make when doing this, and how can ERG leaders avoid these pitfalls?

One common mistake is only having a top-down approach. If one leader is driving your entire BRG strategy, you’re not allowing for the flow of passion and creativity, and this hinders the development of the other BRG members and leaders as well.

Intersectionality is also crucial. We have eight BRGs at MassMutual: open to allies and those representing Black/African American, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino/Latinx communities; members of the LGBTQIA+ community; individuals with disabilities and their caregivers; members of the armed forces, veterans, and military family members; young professionals; and women. We empower them to operate as a cohesive DEI matrix. There are so many issues that need to be tackled from a multidimensional approach, and employees can be part of multiple BRGs representing different parts of their identity. 

Lastly, as a community, we acknowledge that employees don’t leave outside burdens at the door. We want to support them through that, whether it means holding talks with external speakers or running Brave Space events where they can share their feelings without judgment and the company can provide support and resources. Being an ally is important to our culture.

How do you maintain an ERG program and adapt it to meet the needs of employees while keeping engagement levels high? 

Data is essential. A few years ago, one in three MassMutual employees were in a BRG. Now it’s up to 40 percent. By looking at annual self-identification and employee engagement stats, you’ll realize that needs and desires across BRGs have massive overlap. Everyone needs mentors, career development, exposure, a place where you can be yourself at work. If you keep that in mind, you’ll be able to create intersectional resources that offer value to your employees. 

And when you pinpoint what matters to each group, you can involve them in initiatives they’re passionate about. This, in turn, will lead to business results: the true impact the BRGs have on the company — as resources, as leaders. And those results not only serve to motivate BRG leadership — they show executives and the outside world just how important these groups are to our company’s ecosystem. 

In sum, give BRG members a safe space to be themselves and initiatives they care about where they can make a difference. That will lead to business results, and most importantly, a wellness benefit for the employees when you’re giving them the resources they need. That’s what brings the idea of an ERG and a BRG together.